Do I have an AR front suspension? >>> NOW WITH PICS

alchemy

alchemy

Well-known member
I bought a pile of V8 stuff over the weekend and included were some A parts. While unloading the trailer yesterday I spied some oddities on an A front end.

First I noticed the spindles were round. No flat sides. But they have the steering arms bolted at the top boss, so they are Model A, correct?

Second I noticed the axle looked "thicker" than a usual A front axle. It has the same curve as an A, so I know it's not a V8. Is it a truck? I measured the perch boss and it is 2.25".

And then I noticed the wishbone. The eyelets at the perch bosses looked very scrawny. And the tubing was not tapered the whole distance. The tubing is uniform oval from the axle back about halfway, then it starts to taper to the ball end. And the ball end is not ribbed, but also not concave on one side. It is round all the way around. All pertinent dimensions are the same as a normal wishbone, so now I think it fits a car, not a truck.

Is this stuff AR? What other AR parts should I look for on the front assembly? Please explain the peculiarities as I am more a V8er than an Aer. There are no wheels, but the brakes seem to be complete.

Thanks.
 
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Re: Do I have an AR front suspension?

If you're saying the spring perch is 2-1/4" across where the spring shackle goes then it's a late '29 or later truck assembly.
 
Re: Do I have an AR front suspension?

No, the axle is 2.25 thick where the wishbone fits over it. I am assuming a big truck has a thicker boss at that part of the axle.
 
Re: Do I have an AR front suspension?

Ok, it sounds like an early one. Is the lengthwise seam in the wishbone on top or bottom? Also look fr Ford scripts on the ends of the axle both front and rear. There should be at least two and may be two different sizes.
 
Here's some pics of the frontend. I noted the odd wishbone, the round spindles, and the perches look like the eyelet takes a thinner bushing. Anybody else see any other odd parts? Can you confirm the parts I thought were different, or confirm I don't know my Model A's?


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Attachments

  • AR wishbone 1.jpg
    AR wishbone 1.jpg
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  • AR wishbone 2.jpg
    AR wishbone 2.jpg
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  • AR spindle 1.jpg
    AR spindle 1.jpg
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  • AR drum 1.jpg
    AR drum 1.jpg
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Also, I got these loose backing plates as well. What is the difference between the two? One has a flat around the outer portion, and the other has a bevel out to the edge.


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Attachments

  • A backing plates.jpg
    A backing plates.jpg
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Backing plates, spindles, brake actuators, hubs and drums all appear correct. What size is the Ford script on the axle? Be sure to measure both as I have heard (never seen though) some axles had a big script on one end and a small script on the other. Rod
 
Other than the script, is there any other difference from a regular axle? The top and bottom of the beam seemed to have squarer edges to me.
 
alchemy said:
Other than the script, is there any other difference from a regular axle? The top and bottom of the beam seemed to have squarer edges to me.
Click to expand...

I don't think there were any notable differences. Look for the scripts on the ends between the wishbone and spindle. I'm curious as to the size and locations of the scripts as they vary.
 
alchemy said:
Also, I got these loose backing plates as well. What is the difference between the two? One has a flat around the outer portion, and the other has a bevel out to the edge.


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Click to expand...

Doing this without the "book"...you have...
Backing plate on left is the 4th design...no
Backing plate on right is is the 5th, last design...no
 
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